Research on UK Parliament’s
Origin and Institution
Maggie Lee
23rd Jan. 2014
The Role of Parliament
The Role of Parliament
Holding the government
to account
Scrutinise what departments are doing and how
they are spending public money. They do this by
asking questions in the House of Commons and
working on committees which run investigations
and make recommendations to the government
Making and
amending laws
Most of the draft laws going through
Parliament (called ‘bills’) will be government
bills but everyone in Parliament can debate
about them and vote on them
Main Roles of
Parliament
Representing UK Citizens
All MPs are voted for and it is their job to support and represent their citizens. You can contact
your MP no matter what your age. MPs will often help with issues that people may not be able to
get their local council to help with
MPs
Party
Conservative
Labour
Liberal Democrat
Democratic Unionist
Scottish National
Independent
Sinn Fein
Plaid Cymru
Social Democratic & Labour Party
Alliance
Green
Respect
Speaker
Total number of seats
Seats
303
257
56
8
6
5
5
3
3
1
1
1
1
650
CONTENT
Structures and Dependence in Parliamentary
Development
Parliamentary Supremacy and Role of NPC
Future of Parliament
Enlightenment
Structures and Dependence
in Parliamentary Development
Origin Depended on the Throne
Development Relying on the Class
Struggles and Religion Conflicts
The Centrality of Authority Relying on
the Parliament’s Own Reforms
Origin Depended on the Throne
Birth of the UK Parliament
It developed naturally out of the daily political needs of
the English King and his government. The first known
official use of the term Parliament was in 1236. The
word Parliament means an event arranged to talk and
discuss things, from the French word "parler"
Origin Depended on the Throne
Changes under Edward I
Edward I made the meeting of Parliament a
more frequent event and over the course of
his reign of 35 years (1272-1307) he
summoned it on 46 occasions
The Origin Depended on the Throne
Medieval Parliament
Medieval Parliament as a royal palace, playing an
important role in royal life through the centuries
The Development Relying on
the Class Struggles and Religion Conflicts
The Conflict between the King and the Parliament
The reign of Charles I, beginning in 1625, deteriorated
into civil war and regicide. But the republic set up in
his place was ousted by military rule under Oliver
Cromwell. The 20 years from 1640 to 1660 probably
saw the most radical changes ever in the membership,
duties and nature of the upper house
The Development Relying on
the Class Struggles and Religion Conflicts
Religious Conflict
Glorious Revolution: The conflict between
Catholics and Protestants; In 1688 the King was
forced to flee London. After ‘Glorious Revolution’,
Whigs and Tories draw up the bill of right
The Development Relying on
the Class Struggles and Religion Conflicts
Marxist interpretations: the events of the English
Revolution as a class war, with the merchant and
commercial classes supporting Parliamentary
liberty and giving rise to a new Parliamentary class
linked to protestant economic expansion
The Centrality of Authority
Relying on the Parliament’s Own Reforms
The Reform Acts and representative democracy
House of Commons: From the 18th century onwards, the
social changes brought about by industrial growth and the
decline of agriculture meant that the demographic
landscape of Britain was altered. With these changes
came demands from the working and middle classes for
equality and fairness. It took many years for a more
representative Parliament to be achieved
The Centre of Authority
Relying on the Parliament’s Own Reforms
Reform of the House of Lords
The House of Lords has existed since the middle ages
but its composition and powers have gradually evolved
1911, Parliament Act, replaced House of Lords
veto over legislation with the power to delay
passage of Bills by two years
1949, Second Parliament Act, reduced House of
Lords delaying power to one year
Parliamentary Supremacy and Role of NPC
Legislation
Scrutiny
Debates
Legislation
Legislation: Start in House of Commons
1 First Reading
It is the first stage of a Bill’s passage through the
House of Commons - usually a formality, it takes place
without debate, The short title of the Bill is read out and is
followed by an order for the Bill to be printed
2 Second Reading
It is the first opportunity for MPs to debate the main
principles of the Bill. The Government minister,
spokesperson or MP responsible for the Bill opens the
debate. The official Opposition spokesperson responds
with their views. The Commons decides whether the Bill
should be given its second reading by voting
Legislation: Start in House of Commons
3 Committee stage (Commons)
Line by line examination of the Bill. Most Bills are dealt
with in a Public Bill Committee. Amendments for
discussion are selected by the chairman and only
members can vote on. A minority of Bills are dealt with by
a Committee of the Whole House. Consolidated Fund
Bills do not have a committee stage at all
4 Report stage (Commons)
Chance for the whole House to discuss and amend
the Bill. All MPs may speak and vote, the debates may
be spread over several days. All MPs can suggest
amendments to the Bill or new clauses (parts) they think
should be added
Legislation: Start in House of Commons
5 Third reading (Commons)
Debate on the Bill is usually short, and limited to what is
actually in the Bill. Amendments cannot be made at third
reading. At the end of the debate, the House votes on
whether to approve the third reading of the Bill
6 'Ping Pong'
Ping-pong refers to the to and fro of amendments to Bills
between the House of Commons and the House of Lord.
In the end, Both Houses must agree on the exact
wording of the Bill
Legislation: Start in House of Commons
Case Study----Ping Pong
In 2005, the final stages of the Prevention of
Terrorism Bill are good example. The Commons sat
from 11.30 a.m. on Thursday 25 March until nearly
eight o’clock in the evening of Friday 26 March, and
during that time the Bill went back and forth between
the Houses seven times with proposals and counterproposals being considered each time. The Lords
finally gave in Bill
Scrutiny
Scrutiny has become more and more prominent in
the work of Parliament in the last half-century
Scrutiny
1 Questions
‘Question Time’ is an opportunity for MPs and Peers to
question government ministers about matters for which
they are responsible:
Oral Questions
Written Questions(Answers)
Prime Minister's Question Time
Scrutiny
2 Vote(Motion) of No Confidence
A parliamentary vote which when passed would
demonstrate that the elected parliament no longer
has confidence in the appointed government. "No
Confidence" leads to compulsory resignation of the
council of ministers or dissolution of Parliament
Scrutiny
3 Select Committees
There is a Commons Select Committee for each
government department, examining three aspects:
spending, policies and administration. These
departmental committees have a minimum of 11
members. Findings are reported to the Commons. The
government usually has 60 days to reply to the
committee's recommendations
Scrutiny
4 Pre-appointment hearings
Hearings enable select committees to take evidence
from candidates for certain, key public appointments
before they are appointed
Hearings are in public and involve the select committee
taking evidence from the candidate and publishing a
report setting out the committee’s views on the
candidate’s suitability for the post
Hearings are non-binding
Hearings have been introduced on a pilot basis
Debates
1 Conception and Role
Debates are an opportunity for MPs and Lords to discuss
government policy, proposed new laws and current
issues. Debates are designed to assist MPs and Lords to
reach an informed decision on a subject. This decision is
then often expressed in a vote (called a 'division'), for or
against
Debates
2 Rules
During a debate, the speaker calls MPs in turn to give
their opinion on an issue. MPs must get the Speaker’s
attention(called ‘catching the Speaker’s eyes’) and
usually stand, or half-rise from their seat. They may
also write in advance to indicate their wish to speak
MPs address their speeches to the Speaker. Normally
MPs will speak only once and must observe the
courtesies of debate. There are certain conventions
MPs must follow, like ‘Will the honourable Member… ’
Debates
3 Case Study
MPs debated a motion on Syria crisis and military
action in the House of Commons on Thursday 29
August 2013. Prime Minister, David Cameron,
opened the debate. Leader of the Opposition, Ed
Miliband, responded on behalf of the Official
Opposition
The House of Commons voted against the
Government motion on Syria by 285 votes to
272 (division 70)
How NPC Running?
The National People's Congress (NPC)
is the national legislature of the People’s
Republic of China
NPC
Seats
2,987
How NPC Running?
Scrutiny of NPC
1 Deliberation over Work Reports of People’s Governments,
People’s Courts and People’s Procuratorates
2 Examination and Approval of Final Accounts; Deliberation
over Reports on Implementation of the Plans for National
Economic and Social Development and the Budgets,
Reports on the Work of Auditing
3 Inspection of the Enforcement of Laws and Regulations
How NPC Running?
Scrutiny of NPC
4 Keeping on File and Reviewing of Regulatory Documents
5 Questioning and Addressing Inquiries
6 Investigation into Special Issues
7 Deliberation and Decision on Proposals for Removal from
Office
How NPC Running?
Legislative Procedures
1 Getting onto the agenda
2 Deliberation of Bills
3 Passage and Publication
Future of Parliament
General Introduction of the Parliament
Reform since 1950s
Next Possible Steps of Reform
General Introduction of the Parliament
Reform since 1950s
1958, Life Peerages Act
1963, Peerages Act
1978, Radio broadcasts of House of
Commons became permanent
1979, Reform of Select Committee
system in House of Commons
1986, Televised coverage of House of
Lords became permanent
General Introduction of the Parliament
Reform since 1950s
1989, Televised coverage of House of
Commons became permanent
1999, House of Lords Act, reduced the
number of hereditary peers in the House
of Lords to 92, pending further reform
2002, Changes to hours of sitting of House
of Commons
2005, The Constitutional Reform Act,
created a separate Supreme Court and
the Lord Chief Justice replaced the Lord
Chancellor
General Introduction of the Parliament
Reform since 1950s
2010, Reduction of government influence
over select committee membership; New
Backbench Business Committee increases
backbench influence over parliamentary
timetable
2011, New Public Reading Stage
introduced for Bills; Reformed ‘e-petitions’
system gives citizens the chance to raise
topics for debate
Next Possible Steps of Reform
1 To Curb the expansion of the power of the
Executive- separation of powers
Problem
the executive and legislature are fused. The
Prime Minister and ministers are MPs (has a
large majority of seats). The executive is
therefore present at the heart of Parliament
Solution A Enhance the scrutiny of delegated legislation.
Backbench Business Committee can
completely control the agenda of the legislation
Next Possible Steps of Reform
1 To curb the expansion of the power of the
Executive- separation of powers
B The Commons, rather than the Prime Minister,
decide on the dissolution of parliament and the
timing of general elections
C Most of the leaders of Select committees could
be from opposition parties. Enhance the power
of scrutiny of shadow government
Next Possible Steps of Reform
2 To enhance the scrutiny of society
Problem
MPs are usually responsible for the party,
instead of the constituency
Solution A put ‘Public Reading’ into a law
B the constituency has the right to vote on
whether remove their elected MPs from
their posts
C Emphasize the scrutiny of public media,
like ‘The expenses scandal’
Next Possible Steps of Reform
Case Study: The expenses scandal
the 2000 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) came into full force
in 2005, campaigners and journalists had sought to obtain
details of parliamentary expenses claimed by senior politicians
Early revelations: the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, ranked
homes in order to maximize the financial benefits
In May 2009 the Daily Telegraph began to publish the full details.
MPs had been able to claim back the cost of the most mundane
domestic items
The greatest damage caused by the expenses scandal related to
parliament itself. The speaker of Commons was forced to resign
and several ministers resigned from the government
Next Possible Steps of Reform
3 To reform of the voting system of the House
of Commons
‘Parliamentary Voting System and
Constituencies Act 2011’
the Act resulted in introducing the Alternative Vote
system for the UK Parliament and reduce the number
of Members of Parliament from 650 to 600, the result
of alternative vote referendum 2011 is worrying, 68
percent voted No and only 32 percent voted Yes. So
the future of the reform is definitely gloomy
Next Possible Steps of Reform
4 To carry on the further reform of the House of Lords
To An Elected Second Chamber: wholly elected or
an 80% elected chamber?
Number of members: 250-300 ?
Voting System: First Past The Post, Alternative Vote,
Single Transferable Vote (STV) ?
Tenure: a single, non-renewable term of 12-15
years?
Enlightenment
How to represent the people or
constituents effectively
Enlightenment
How to check on the government efficiently
How to make law in a more rational way
How to reconnecting Parliament and the public
Conclusion
‘Government of the people, by the people,
for the people’
‘Ask not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country’
THANKS